Remote server management devices allow various aspects of the operation of a server computer to be viewed and controlled from a management application executing on a remotely located computer system. For instance, certain types of remote management devices allow the video output of a managed server computer to be viewed at a remote location. Moreover, these devices typically allow aspects of the operation of the managed server computer to be controlled from the remote location. For instance, a remote management device may be utilized to remotely troubleshoot the operation of a managed server computer and to restart a failed server computer.
In order to provide the functionality described above, remote server management devices typically include a dedicated network interface for communicating with a remote management client. Because communication with the remote management device in this manner is not dependent upon the operation of the managed server computer, this type of communication is referred to as “out-of-band” communication. Out-of-band management allows management data to be retrieved from the remote management device and other actions to be performed, such as resetting a server computer, even when the managed server computer has not yet booted an operating system or is unresponsive. These types of activities are not possible with “in-band” management. In-band management refers to the process of communicating with a managed server computer over the same communications channel used to carry data.
Typical remote management devices utilize a Keyboard Controller Style (“KCS”) interface for in-band communication with the managed server computer. Alternatively, an overloaded universal serial bus (“USB”) human interface device (“HID”) connection between the remote management device and the managed server computer may be utilized for in-band communication. These methods for enabling communication between a remote management device and a managed server computer are less than ideal, however, because they often require custom third-party drivers to be installed on the managed server computer. Additionally, these previous methods may require different management applications and methods for in-band and out-of-band management.
It is with respect to these considerations and others that the various embodiments described below have been made.